


Time Traveller's Party

by Selen0phile



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, I promise it's not that sad, Johnny loving Taeil hours, Light Angst, M/M, Markhyuck as kids, Teen johnil, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 09:28:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20833196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selen0phile/pseuds/Selen0phile
Summary: "My time traveller guests would be arriving any moment now.”But then no one showed up.Maybe the traveller was lost?





	Time Traveller's Party

**Year 2024**

♬♪

‘_Cause we belong together now, yeah_

_Forever united here somehow, yeah_

_You got a piece of me, and honestly_

_My life would suck without you_

_♬♪_

“You’ve been playing that song for hours, honey.” Taeil he'll physcially wince if the song lopps again for another hour. He's fully aware his husband has been so obsessed with the song since forever and he's really just waiting for him to grow tired of liking the damn stupid song.

But cut to nine years of their relationship and the damn song is still on top of Johnny's playlist.

“It’s my favourite song.” Johnny, his husband of five years, replies to him with a grin. Taeil rolls his eyes as he feels the urge to wipe away the smug from his life partner's face by turning off the music player and end this lpusy music misery for today.

“Since when did you even like Kelly Clarkson?” Taeil retorts, somehow convinced shutting the player won't fix his husband's horrible taste in music. Maybe if he could get his hands on the playlist and delete that song...

“Everybody had that emo phase, honey. Please let our marriage be a judgment-free zone.” Johnny replies with half offensive tone but his smile grows back, plastering on his face.

“I know." Taeil slumps down his frame back on his seat, feeling comfortable looking at his husband smiling so happily while he bops his head to every beat of the song. "I love you." The words come falling from his lips before he catches himself but he doesn't regret telling them since they feel so right at this moment.

“I love you the most!” Johnny turns to him, grinning ever so wildly but of genuine happiness.

Taeil's picture perfect.

Maybe he can tolerate listening to this song for a couple more hours after all.

**Year 2025**

“And you let him in?” Taeil feels his head spinning when Johnny lays with him on the bed, trying to get a couple afternoon nap. The mood was ruined when his husband spills a little story back on his teenage days about his dumbass self letting in a stranger and even going beyond to serve them tea.

Johnny nods at him, blinking gently as he looks like his mind travels back to that certain memory. “Yes. He looked lost, he was acting weird but he didn’t harm me one bit.”

“Johnny, that guy was totally a psycho.” He knows Johnny is undeniably the nicest person on the planet right now but this is something appalling even to his ears.

“He didn’t kill me though!"

Taeil clicks his tongue on the weak reasoning. “Don’t open your doors on strangers. I’ve been teaching Donghyuck just that but it looks like you need a little bit of nagging as well.”

Johnny huffs and buries his face against the pillow. “Jeez, as if the nagging ever stopped since we married.”

“What was that?”

Johnny chuckles but muffled from the pillow against his face. Taeil pinches his side on annoyance and his husband giggles a little more.

“Nothing, honey! You're the best!"

**Year 2030**

“Ah, right! Bucket list number 13!” Taeil almost screams on top of his lungs when he feels Johnny perk up from the bed very unexpectedly. He feels his sense of slumber crawling away from his system and the adrenaline replacing them down.

He relaxes when he feels Johnny calming down beside him.

“Honey, it’s 2 am.” he lulls on his awake husband, grabbing his arm to caress his nerves and eventually put him back to sleep. Johnny was squirming on his side of the bed, reaching for something.

“Sorry, I just remembered—alexia, turn the lights on.” the lights are on power immediately after the command. Taeil groans softly when his eyes get exposed with the sudden brightness. He squints for a while until he's used to the light intensity.

“Johnny—“

Johnny cuts him off, grabbing a small notebook on a drawer beside their bed. “Time travelling back to the past, that’s on my bucket list.”

His husband started to get obsessed on making his own list since he was a teenager because he thinks they're fun and (his only reason) makes his life worth living a little longer. So he comes up with the most ridiculous things to fill up the list. Taeil was very supportive at first when he got reunited with thing but when he takes a sweet glance of the notebook, he knew Johnny has been taking this into another extreme.

Per usual.

Taeil snorts. “That’s not possible.” taking that bukcet list bullet on his 'johnny's impossible wishes' along with travelling to the moon and having a romantic dinner at the deepest of the sea.

“The mad doctor on the TV says otherwise!” Taeil doesn't hold himself back from rolling his eyes. It's too early to deal with this.

“You’re seriously stuck in your cartoon life, Johnny. We’re adults and we’re not supposed to believe on crazy doctors.”

“But—“

“Get back to sleep, honey." He snaps at him soft but with firm impact.

Johnny huffs, as he usually does whenever Taeil shuts him off completely. “But if the crazy doctor eventually makes it possible, promise to come with me to a party?”

“What party?” he looks up, curious.

“Stephen Hawking’s Time Traveller’s Party.” Johnny answers as he postions back to bed, beside Taeil. He snakes his arms on his small frame and Taeil hums on the contact.

“Who the fuck even—“

“Come on! He’ll be very sad if no one shows up to his party.” Johnny only says before kissing his cheek and lulling them both back to slumber.

  
**Year 2033**

“Daddy, won’t come back?” Taeil looks down to the sweet swollen pair of red eyes that were Mark's, their eight year old angel. His baby is tugging on his slacks to probably get his attention from spacing out completely on Johnny's tomb.

He bites his lip and goes down eye level with his child. “No, Mark. He’s sleeping in peace now.” he speaks in a very gentle manner, afraid that one word would make his child break into a crying fit once again. He's not ready to deal with anything that stressful at the moment since he's mourning still.

After all, he just lost the love of his life.

“Will you be going with him soon?” Marks asks in genuine inquisitiveness, eyes doe and wet and so swollen from excessive wailing, demanding they take him to his other dad. Taeil feels his insides twist as he remembers the broken cries from an innocent child just wanting to be cradled by his father one more time.

“No, baby. I’ll be with you and Donghyuck until you grow.” he tugs Mark's sweaty hair back to give him a full view of his son's face. Smiling forcefully hoping Mark would imitate the gesture.

Mark didn't.

“Promise you’ll never leave?”

Taeil feels his heart swell. “Oh honey, I can never make such promise.” As much as he dearly loves his kids with his entire heart, he doesn't have it in him to feed them with false hopes.

Mark nods once, looking the most melancholic he's ever been. “I understand. Daddy promised me the same thing. And now he’s gone.”

  
**Year 2009**

** _Stephen Hawking’s Time Traveller’s Party invitation:_ **

_“I like simple experiments and champagne so I've combined two of my favourite things to see if time _   
_travel from the future to the past is possible. I'm throwing a party, a welcome reception for future time _   
_travellers—but there's a twist, I'm not letting anyone know about it until after the party has happened._

_Here is the invitation giving the exact coordinates in time and space I'm hoping copies of it in one form or _   
_another will survive for many thousands of years. Maybe one day someone living in the future will find _   
_the information and use the wormhole time machine to come back to my party proving that time travel _   
_will one day be possible._

_My time traveller guests would be arriving any moment now.”_

  
Johnny opens the door and wasn’t expecting a small teenager, probably of his age staring at him with wide eyes. He’s been very familiar with the neighbourhood and he could tell the small guy is not from this place.

The guy looks at his face and then moves his head to observe the area around him.

“Uh, may I help you, kid?”

The small teenager looks at him offended. “I’m not a kid—“He immediately looks down at his own frame and then crawls them back up to look at Johnny with horror.

Johnny squirms at his feet when he senses the kid is a little bit out of ordinary. His parents were out so it’s just basically him in the house. His mom had been telling him to not open the door for strangers since child abductors are rumoured to be roaming around near their area.

Technically, this small teenage guy is a complete stranger.

Johnny wonders if he should just bang the door on the stranger’s face but he spoke before he could even conclude on that.

“Is this University of Cambridge?”

Johnny stares down at him with disbelief. “No, that would be on England.”

“I am in England.” The guy tries to argue at him and Johnny is tempted to just close the door right there. This guy is starting to creep him out.

“No, this is Chicago.”

The guy widens his eyes even more that he did earlier. “That can’t be.” He turns his back and gestures to glance something on his wrist, to what exactly Johnny really couldn’t figure out.

“What is that?” He asks, curious and slightly peeking.

When the guy notices him, he simply ushers the thing quickly on his pocket. Johnny frowns. “You cannot know what this is.”

“Okay.” Johnny answers simply not really wanting to play the other guy’s game. He has more Nintendo games to play. “Have a good night then—“

“No, No—“ The guys slightly pushes himself inside Johnny’s house, afraid of getting left out. Johnny is quick to take a defensive stance. He knows a little bit of karate, he isn’t good but he’s sure his adrenaline will help him a lot in this kind of confrontation.

The guy holds both his hands up. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“Step away.”

And the guy obeys; stepping back in silence, his hands still in the air and Johnny does the same with his fighting stance. He wonders how much time it will take him if he runs for it and grabs their butcher knife hidden secretly at their kitchen.

The police would probably understand if he injures an intruder right?

“Who are you?” He asks, wanting to distract the strange guy.

The guy opens his mouth but closes it almost immediately. “I’m sorry, I cannot tell.”

“Then get out or I’ll call the police.”

“No, don’t! I’ll be gone quickly. I just need to know where I am.”

Johnny observes him for a minute. He looks like a normal kid. He doesn’t look like he’s armed with a gun or any threatening tools. If he’s an abductor, he could’ve done it way before he was out of his defense.

Johnny lets his instinct dominate his resolve and puts down his stance. The guy sighs in relief but doesn’t move at all, hands still in high.

“This is Chicago.”

The guy blinks at him. “Is there no University of Cambridge in Chicago?”

_Is he for real?_ “No, you’ll have to go to England.”

“England?”

“Yes.”

The guy’s shoulders fell on display. He retrieves his arms back down and bites on his lips. “Will you tell me the coordinates of this place?”

Johnny shoots him a weird look. “What the fuck even is a coordinate?”

“It’s a group of numbers you use to indicate a position of a point.” The guy spells out to him without any difficulty. Johnny’s young brain just translated the words into ‘oh fuck no, that’s math.’

“Sorry, I don’t know how to figure that out. I’m just fourteen.” Johnny speaks with slight humility. He doesn’t like admitting to a stranger he’s actually dumber than he looks. The small guy doesn’t look surprised though (Johnny doesn’t know what he feels about that) and nods at him.

The small guy then slips a piece of paper from his jacket. “I will read you the coordinate on this paper then.” Johnny nods, slowly. “Tell me if they seem familiar to you.”

“Okay.”

The guy glances down at the small, crumpled paper. “41⁰ 52’ 54.6” N, 87⁰ 37’ 23.4” W”

Johnny takes a few seconds to roam his eyes on the stranger’s small fracture. It doesn’t seem to him that they have a huge age gap. The guy basically looks like he’s the same age as him, younger if he dares to assume. How come a growing teen knows what a coordinate is?

“Oh yeah, no way in hell they’re familiar to me.” He answers, quite annoyed at his lack of intelligence. He should take his school seriously from now on so he doesn’t embarrass himself like this in front of a weird small stranger.

Johnny scratches his head when the small man’s face fell in disappointment. “Sorry I couldn’t be of help, man.” The stranger doesn’t reply, instead re-reads the scribbling on the paper. “Would you like something to drink? You look hella lost and you don’t seem to have the intention to hurt me.”

The guy looks up at him in a hurry. “I’m not gonna kill you.”

Johnny’s sure his face turns a bit sour. “Yeah, please stop saying ‘kill’. It’s creeping me.”

“Sorry.”

When Johnny strides inside their kitchen he grabs the butcher knife and hides in safely on his back, careful not to detach it from its protective case and slashing himself in the process.

Just in case, you know, the stranger turns out to me a torture-loving murderer.

When he prepares the tea, he couldn’t believe that he’s actually doing this. He’s prepared to hear a handful of scolding from his parents if they ever found out he let a stranger inside their home and even served him tea—they’ll go nuts and his ass will be grounded pretty fast.

“I’m sorry to bother you.” The stranger mumbles when he settled down the tray of beverages on the table. He nods at him and sits at the opposite side to give him a careful view, still in the slightest cautious of the stranger’s intentions. “I understand that you’re wary of my presence, but it is never in my objective to hurt you.”

“Uh-huh.” He sips his soda as he nods at the stranger’s narrative. “Where are you from?”

The stranger doesn’t answer immediately; in fact he doesn’t look like he wants to answer the question at all. Johnny wants to snort at himself for even trying to juice out details from this mysterious intruder.

“I must not say, but I don’t want you to call the cops on me.” The stranger suddenly trails. “I guess nothing would be distorted if I let you know my place.”

Johnny doesn’t like taking a context and putting a deeper meaning into it so he lets the stranger finish his talk.

“I’m from Korea.”

Johnny hums at his soda, waiting for other details but no words came out from the stranger’s mouth. He sighs inwardly. “Nothing else?”

The guy looks hesitant and then his face falls with the hint of guilt. “I’m sorry.”

“Is there a reason you cannot tell?”

He shoots him a pair of concerned eyes. “Trust me, this is for you own good.”

Johnny doesn’t buy that. He finishes his soda in one gulp before putting down the can on the wooden table. The stranger’s eyes follow the gesture. “Are they holding you on hostage?”

“What?”

“Are you being held a hostage right now?” Johnny starts. “You said you’re from Korea and somehow thought this is place is England—“

“Wait.”

“Are you a victim of human traffickers?” Johnny finishes, finally piecing them together. “I can help you. We’ll call the police and you tell them your story. Don’t worry about my parents, they’ll understand your situation. They’re nice and—“

“Kid, you’re taking things way too extreme.”

Johnny raises his eyebrow at the mention of ‘kid’ directed to him.

He sees the other sighing in defeat. “I’m just here for a damn party.”

  
**Year 2030**

“So no one showed up?” Taeil asks as he sunk his chin down on Johnny’s shoulder. They were finally getting rest after lulling Donghyuck to sleep and convincing Mark his little brother doesn’t need more play time with him.

Taeil was just starting to prepare their bed when Johnny starts another childhood story of his, this time about the party he countlessly mentioned in the past.

Time Traveller’s Party.

Or so that’s what Johnny says what it is because he never heard such a thing before. Then again, Johnny lived in the west before settling down to Korea. He’s more familiar with the things that went down there than he does.

“In his party? None. But some people said maybe they we’re just lost at that time.”

“Area-wise?”

“Yeah. But they definitely got the time right.”

“You mean people from the future who are incredibly advanced than we are, got the time right but got lost because they couldn’t read the map?”

Johnny pouts at him as he stretches his legs comfortably on the bed. “There’s no map. The physicist gave them coordinates.”

“Coordinates?”

“Yeah.” Johnny smiles. “A group of numbers you use to indicate a position of a point.” The words come out almost naturally from his mouth. He looks so proud. I

Taeil taps him on the chest, pretending to be amazed. “You know your stuff.”

“You married a smart man, Taeilie.”

“Jesus,” Taeil rolls his eyes at his grinning man. “You’re flattering yourself too much.”

Johnny kisses his forehead and he hums at the sensation that envelops inside him just from the small movement. “So?” Taeil trails when he sees Johnny slowly succumbing to the call of sleep. “Why did you want to come to this party again?”

Johnny smiles meaningfully.

“I promised a friend.”

  
**Year 2009**

Taeil flips the paper one more time and convinces himself if there’s something he got wrong with his input of digits into his time watch, he’ll see it immediately. He almost throws the paper to the floor out frustration when he rechecks his input for the thirtieth time.

“Don’t you just want to call your friends and pick you up? You know, they’ll be wondering where you are.”

Taeil sighs as he looks up to the kid, whatever his name is, with a curious look at him. “I don’t have any phone with me.”

It’s hard enough that he’s trying to deal with this situation with a literal teenager in the scene, but the real torture is that the time watch actually took his forty year old body from him and inserted his soul back to his frail teen body.

What a bummer, and all of this is because he wanted to cross out that one bullet in Johnny’s lifetime bucket list.

His spine shivers at the thought of his late husband. Johnny made him promise to come visit Stephen’s party so he wouldn’t feel too lonely anymore because someone remembered his lousy invitation (from Taeil’s judgment). And because Taeil loves (emphasis on the tense) Johnny with all his heart, he doesn’t have it in him to break his hearty request.

He tries not to think about Johnny in such depth or else he’d end up crying in front of the young man who is still observing him from his seat.

“I can lend you mine,” The kid gently offers at him.

He shakes his head curtly. “There’s no need. I don’t have their numbers any way.” He lies for the sake of it.

If this kid figures out he’s not of the same time and space of now, he’ll have to kill him as an iron rule established on time travelling. If proven that the history have been significantly distorted, you’ll pay by your head.

And he did not travel back in time of twenty five years to dirty his hands of blood of an innocent child.

The kid (Taeil decides he’ll just call him a kid because he technically a lot older than him anyway) taps his fingers on the wood, perhaps to erase the eerie silence that fell between them. Taeil on the other hand, goes back to staring at the paper again—wanting to burn holes in it this time. Too bad laser eyes aren’t really a thing of 2034 yet.

“Won’t your parents look for you?”

“No, they know I’m heading to this party.”

“Party…” The kid repeats the word. “Maybe I know them? I’m pretty familiar with the neighbourhood. Maybe I can help you out? Who is the host of the party?”

Taeil curses under his breath.

It’s Stephen Hawking, but he’s so sure this kid has no idea who the man is in his age. He probably only knows a handful of cartoon characters and some angsty actors from cliché TV shows.

Taeil concludes, this kid isn’t really any of help to him.

“I…”

_♬♪_

_Guess this means you’re sorry_

_You’re standing at the door_

_Guess this means you’ll take back_

_All you said before_

_♬♪_

Taeil froze at the familiar music that just rung out of nowhere. He feels his palms slowly forming sweat from anxiety and anticipation. He looks up back to the kid with a shocked look, mirroring his own.

“That’s my phone, sorry.” The kid smiles at him awkwardly. “Excuse me for a minute.”

The kid leaves the scene to probably grab his phone and answer it. Taeil was left on his seat, a trembling mess.

It has been a year since he has heard that damn stupid song.

But it wasn’t any damn stupid song. It’s Johnny’s favourite stupid song.

He remembers his husband trying to convince him to listen to it as if it’s his religion. And to be honest, most of their relationship is just him being polite and holding back himself from actually insulting his late husband’s horrible taste in music. Actually Johnny had the most diverse choice of music ever, but somehow this stupid Kelly Clarkson song crawled up to his top list.

Taeil learned how to compensate to tolerating the song for the rest of their relationship but he never grew to love the song, it’s just not his cup of tea.

Even now that he got another chance to hear it after a long year from his husband’s passing, it still sounds so stupid against his ears but his mind automatically digs up the memory of his husband’s bopping with a wide grin to the song.

When the kid re-enters the room again, hands on his pockets, Taeil wipes the beads of tears on the side of his eye.

“That was my parents,”

Taeil nods at him, in full interest now since the kid looks a bit concerned. The kid’s hair is a bit too long to have a full glance his face but he recalls that was a trend back in 2009.

If he is even in the right year, that is.

“Kid, can you tell me the date today?”

The kid glances on his phone fast. “Uh, it’s June 28th.”

Taeil stops himself from groaning in frustration. “Year?” he reminds himself that it’s the kid’s fault he doesn’t know he’s on a time travel right now.

The kid still gives him a funny face. “2009.”

“Huh, I guess I got that part right.” He mumbles on his own. If it is true that he’s on year 2009 then that would mean he’s…

Taeil mentally calculates his age, something he finds so easy to do. “Fifteen.” He answers his own curiosity, nodding in satisfaction.

It wasn’t too long for him to remember something so significant in his life. His eyes expand in quick horror when he grabs his head in panic. He cringes when he feels almost nothing but sharp edges of his thin length hair.

Oh jesus, save him. He’s bald.

“It looks cute.” The kid interfered with his embarrassing inner breakdown. When he looks up to him, he scowls at the grin glued on his face. He notices how he’s probably taking off rude so he drops the smile as quickly as he can. “I mean,” he fakes a cough. “I think bald is the next trend. I’m getting tired of the emo long hair.”

Taeil snorts. “Don’t worry. Everyone had the emo phase.”

He watches as the kid retrieve his seat in front of him, getting comfortable with him. “Do you guys not have emo phases in Korea?”

“Huh?”

The kid starts to tap his chin, gesturing curiosity. “I’ve never been to Korea before. My parents are from there though. But they never mentioned anything descriptive of the place. Only that the winter there is real cold—but like, of course it does, it’s winter, duh.”

Taeil laughs in amusement. “We just have many buildings in Korea.” He digs up more but he runs out from the pressure to think. “And great food, I guess?”

“Right! My mom likes to cook me kimchi stew. It’s one of my favorites.” The kid gasps in surprise. “Speaking of, my parents are on their way home. I don’t want to get in trouble so I’m going to have to send you away.”

Taeil nods in full understanding. “I guess I’d have to go then. Thank you for taking me in for a short while.”

“No problem. You don’t seem so bad yourself.”

“Also, I think your hair looks good.”

The kid’s eyes sparkle in amusement, although it’s almost so covered by the long strands of hair. “Thank you! I’d say the same but you don’t have that much hair.”

Taeil scoffs but chuckles anyway, feeling to adult enough to even be offended by snarky remarks.

“How about the party?” The kid asks, walking him to the door.

Taeil is ahead for a bit there. He’ll just have to travel back to his proper year and then fix what has been messing in the coordinates. He kind of took a wrong turn there, not double checking if the numbers were right or accurate. He’ll have to ask Taeyong about it since he’s got more expertise than him.

“I’ll still be able to go. Don’t worry.” He smiles because it’s true. He’s not going to stop until he crosses that one last bullet on Johnny’s bucket list.

**Year 2030**

“Number 7, have anal sex—that’s definitely crossed off.” Johnny smirks at him, teasing.

Taeil doesn’t give in to feeding his husband’s ego and looks down to the journal once again, frowning. “This bucket list is a disaster. Look at this at the third bullet, jump off a cliff and hope not to die.” He glares at his chuckling husband. “Johnny, there’s no fucking way you’re hopping off a cliff with that age. Sorry to break it to you, but you’ll die.”

Johnny chuckles loudly and airily. “I made this when I was sixteen, seventeen—I don’t remember. But they're pretty hilarious. I love it. Let’s do them together,”

“I agreed to do this with you because I assumed you made it in a rational manner,” He grabs the thin journal and holds it on Johnny’s face who is still chuckling at his own dumbass. “There’s something about watching an elephant poop live and in person—Jesus Christ, Johnny.”

Johnny steals the journal. “Ah, no cross that out. That one's done.”

Taeil glares at him with full judgment. “Ew.” he shakes his head when Johnny laughs again after actually crossing that one bullet out. “I don’t want to know.”

“Ten and I had some awesome drunk adventures.”

“I said I don’t want to know!” Taeil whines when Johnny pulls him closer for a deep kiss. He struggles to get away but Johnny was stronger than him physically. He huffs and focuses his eyes back on the poor journal. “Stephen Hawking’s Party.”

Johnny hums and then nods when he read the bullet item himself. “Yeah, that one. I told you about it before.”

“The time travelling one,” He reaches out for the pen in Johnny’s hold. “Let’s cross this one out too.”

“What?—No!”

“Johnny, we talked about this.”

Johnny grabs the journal from him and hugs it protectively against his chest. “Yes and this is my bucket list and I say this one stays.”

“It’s not gonna happen. Why are you so obsessed anyways?”

“Isn’t it cool? To be part of something historical and then going back to one of the major contributors in the world and tell him about the good news.”

“Yeah but Mr. Stephen is already dead.”

Johnny clicks his tongue but smiles in positivity. “In 2009 he isn’t.”

  
**Year 2009**

“Well, take care kid.” Taeil awkwardly waves at the kid, afraid to touch him since the latter seems like he wants to do so.

He takes the hint fortunately, and waves back at him. “I hope you find the party you’re looking for.”

“Thank you.” He stops once again to nag at the young teen. “Don’t open your doors to strangers again. You’re lucky it’s just me right now. You won’t fall lucky next time, trust me.”

“You sound like my mom.”

_Well that’s probably because I’m actually forty and a father of two best kids._

“Can you tell me your name?” The kid asks in an open. Taeil licks his lips, feeling slightly guilty he’s going to have to turn down another request from the young man. When the kid sees his face, his shoulders fall altogether. “That means no, huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay.” The kid assures him with a smile. “I’ll give you mine anyway. You might want to find me on Facebook.”

Taeil cringes. _Oh dear, I got news for you, kid. 2034 doesn’t have trash websites like Facebook anymore._

“Okay,” He says anyway, not wanting to turn down the kid forever.

“I’m Johnny Suh.”

**Year 2034**

“You cannot touch people, if they did touch you; you have to report on us.” Taeyong reminds him as he preps the time watch on his laboratory table. “If they figure out who you are, you have to kill them.”

“I’m not gonna kill anyone, Taeyong.” Taeil speaks, not feeling nervous at all. He’ll just have to walk into the party room with the famous Stephen Hawking and call it a day. He hopes that Johnny would be satisfied with such bare minimum since you really can’t go so reckless with time and space that has already passed.

“I’m just worried. I won’t be able to monitor you at all when you go back.” Taeyong clicks a few buttons some more and lifts the watch to attach them on his wrist. “Promise me you’ll tell me everything that happened.”

“I will,” Taeil promises.

“I trust you, Taeil hyung.” Taeyong clicks and a blank screen appears on the watch. “Do you want to input them yourself or should I do the honor?”

Taeil hums before fishing the small piece of paper Johnny had gave him a year ago before he dies. “I’ll do it.”

Taeyong nods at him and takes a good look at his friend, smiling. “You love him this much you’re willing to complete such a dumb bucket list.”

He feels himself letting out a chuckle. “I love him so much I’m willing to do the dumbest shit he requests upon me.” He lifts his wrist to make Taeyong re-check them and finish a few more clicks. “Also, I don’t want his ghost to hunt me during the night. That bastard knows my tickle areas way too well.”

Taeyong chuckles back at that. “What would you tell Stephen when you walk in that party?"

Taeil thinks for a while but wasn’t really running on creative ideas. “Uh, my husband sent me here?”

“That’s it?”

“I don’t know. I forgot to ask Johnny if it’s a birthday party.”

**Year 2009**

“Did you say your name’s Johnny?” Taeil asks in a trembling voice. He grips on the knob of the door for support but he feels he’s about to pass out soon.

_This isn’t real._

_There’s just no way._

“Yes. Does the name ring a bell? I’m pretty popular here.”

_Yes it rings a bell._

_That’s the name of the love of my life._

** _“You cannot touch people, if they did touch you; you have to report on us.”_ **

He hears Taeyong’s reminder on the back of his head but his willpower to obey is slowing losing against his resolve to have at least one last touch from his husband.

God, his husband that he loves to the moon and back.

_Just one touch._

_Johnny._

When he tugs at teenage Johnny’s hair gently, pulling them away from his face. Johnny smiles at him although still unaware of his significance. Taeil takes a full golden last glance on the face he probably won’t be able to see in the future. He gasps silently when he pieces Johnny’s young features together.

He’s so damn beautiful--he feels so stupid not recognizing the fourteen year old version of his husband.

When he feels his emotions calling to him to touch Johnny more and envelope him in a hug, he withdraws his hand immediately away. Johnny looks at him all confused and before he could ask what’s going on he cuts him off.

“I wish I could bring you to the party.”_—and cross out your stupid bucket list together. I wish you could finally tell Stephen Hawking how you so have the fattest crush on his wheelchair. I wish I could take you back._

_Back to my present._

“We’ll see each other…I hope,” Taeil mumbles, choking on his own overflowing emotions. When he closes the door between them, he feels his heart breaking into torturous pieces. He takes both his hands to cover his mouth mufflling the sobs that break from him like a dam uncontrollably flowing out in all deadly directions.

He takes a run for it, unwary about the audience that may witness him. He runs fast until it feels like the speed is burning him whole. He runs for it, he runs until he tumbles onto dirt. He falls completely but the only pain he feels is from the overhelming mourning he's trying to let out.

He continues sobbing into the foreign area, letting out his sobs so free he prays they reach to his late husband. Everything he mutters in mix with his cries, he hopes Johnny could hear them and just for the last time, cradle him back to safety.

  
**Year 2034 (present)**

_Johnny Suh, Year 2033 March 1st_

_At first, I didn’t know it was you. You never mentioned you were bald when you were young. If it wasn’t for the photo books your mom has secretly slid into my case back from one of our vacation, I wouldn’t even find out._

_When at first, it doesn’t seem real to me. I desperately replayed that night in my house in Chicago. There’s wasn’t a single one from your clothing that made me recall that it was indeed you—but your eyes._

_Your eyes are too beautiful to forget and those orbs are buried safely in my mind, I could always just allow myself to remember them._

_And one day, I just find myself looking for that bald young teen who is a strange intruder from Korea._

_But when I asked my friends and neighbours about you, no one got a clue who you were. I feel cheated because you left me wondering if it was a realm of my unconscious or was it in fact a reality._

_I puzzled the pieces together when I can only vaguely recall you asking for Cambridge. I saw the invitation through the internet back when I’m already sixteen. I figured maybe you are indeed the time traveller Stephen Hawking was waiting for. I was too hopeful that I kept it in my bucket list so I never will overlook. I was so daring I actually fantasize going on that party together._

_But there was a reason why you were alone when you find me that night of June. It was the first thing I concluded when it darted to my curiosity. Because there’s no way you’ll left me out from this epic adventure._

_I’m probably dead that time._

_That’s a bummer. Lol._

_But at least you found me, right? One last glance from this sexy ass!_

_I’ve seen your wrist watch by the way, we probably distorted history (just on a slight, don't even worry about it.) (Also I thought it was a toy.) because I saw the date where you travelled from. You forgot I was taller than you (way taller than you) that there’s no use hiding it from me._

_So when you come back to your 2034, please double check if I’m still dead. Because if I still am then that means I still chose to marry you, to love you and build a family with you._

_Because even with the history in slight distort, I still picked you as my life partner and everything still falls in the same place._

_I love you. _

_Did you think my long hair suited me back in 2009? I take pride on that and thank you for not laughing and not oversharing it to our kids!_

_I’m still sure you’re gonna cry when you see the 2009 me (I mean, he’s pretty damn hot.). I hope I can change that but there’s only so much I could alternate, huh? I hope the future before you will be only filled with happiness!_

_Sorry I had to change the coordinates, how else will you stumble upon me?_

_If you still want to go to the party, here’s the REAL coordinates:_

_52⁰ 12’ 21” N, 0⁰ 7’ 4.7” E_

_Tell Stephen Hawking my apologies, no one showed up to his party because I was selfish and_ _ took you to my direction. He'll just have to forgive me at that._

_Time is linear, we can only go forward._

_So walk straight now, love._

_Always remember me as I always will do even in after life._

_You can cross out bullet thirteen, too. That’s all done._

_ps. Kelly c__larkson rocks!!! :P_

“Dad? Tell me a story!” Donghyuck tugs on his sleeve one night when he takes both of them on the same bed he shared with Johnny when he’s still alive. He feels like it's the right thing to do since he's kind of lonely during his own slumber.

Mark is now crawling onto his legs to cling onto them.

“What story? Would you like one from you books, hyuckie?”

“No!” Donghyuck whines while pouting. “I want new story.”

“Okay—“ He lifts Mark when he bites harshly on his leg, like a lion. “Mark, that hurts.”

Mark just shoots him a sorry pair of eyes before latching himself closer to his dad. “Sorry.”

“Story! Story!” Donghyuck chants, impatient. Taeil sighs on how much these kids are so energetic and can stress him out just before they go to sleep.

“Okay, hyuckie. What should I tell you…” He contemplates if he can just pull one of the kid books on their shelf real quick since he really isn’t the most creative when it comes to improvising a story.

He laughs when he recalls one thing.

His sons look up at him, both curious.

He smiles wildly as he rocks the both of them in his hold. “Let me tell you that one time your daddy John considered it suits him to grow his hair long.”

_♬♪_

_You got a piece of me_

_And honestly,_

_My life would suck without you._

_♬♪_

_ [Time Traveller's Party: Invitation](https://youtu.be/elah3i_WiFI) _

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://mobile.twitter.com/moonibear) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/Selenoph1le)


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